Martin Lindstrom writes in the Branding Strategy Insider, “Country of Origin as a Branding Statement.”… In his post he, insightfully argues that the “Made in …” label on a product can dramatically affect a consumers perception of quality.

Let’s take it to the next level…. What if the only thing you knew about the product was it was made on the West Coast, the Mid-West or the South?… If the product was manufactured in these regions, would it affect your perception of the product itself?

Up another notch! … What about States? California vs. Alabama

And again! … What about Cities?… Los Angeles vs. Missoula

AGAIN! … What about Sections of a City?… East L.A. vs. Hollywood

Locale definitely plays a big part in establishing brand perception and creating the right “tone” for the connection with your target audience.

So, here I sit in the beautiful Lakes Region of Central New Hampshire…. What are YOUR perceptions of Acorn Creative’s branding and creative design services? Will we ever be compared to a Manhattan Agency as ’similar’? … possibly not, but that’s part of our brand.

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The Blake Project reminds us of a fabulous quote from branding gurus Al Ries and Jack Trout:

“If you can, be first. If you can’t be first, create a new category in which you can be first.”

If you find you’re lagging behind more powerful or better positioned competitors, you really need to take this one to heart.

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Although the tagline “Think different” evolved from the former “The power to be your best”, you still get the strong sense of how Apple connects with people. The rebellious, do things different than the masses idea. Click to watch this classic commercial;

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“The Show”, put on by all organizations, is sometime great! Seth describes how the show put on by the airlines is a bit thread bare. As a private pilot, I can’t claim to know everything, but I can assure you there are facts in his post that are true — and obvious, even to the most uninformed layperson. Sooooo, why do the airlines keep playing this game of charades? Because they haven’t (yet) been fully compelled to change the story or to improve “the show.”

Which leads me to the point of this post. WHAT IF you had a few exceptional employees who improved your show by breaking your rules and introduced a level of authenticity that kicked your old story to the curb? Would you allow it? Would you try to squash it like a green bug? Or, would you embrace it and encourage it?

On a flight last year I was witness to this. The crew was early to the airport and ended up waiting in the boarding area with the rest of us. They mingled, they laughed, they were friendly. NOT the usual stuffy, walk in packs, nose up with an air of superiority, “I’m better than you” kind of flight crew… if you’ve seen this, you know what I mean.

When we boarded the plane we all knew it was going to be a fun flight. By the time the crew got to the safety presentation, hilarity ensued. The unwitting attendant at the front of coach found (one at a time, of course):

• Her oxygen mask had a beanie baby in it
• When she put the mask on to demonstrate its use, the pilot used the intercom to do a Darth Vader deep breathing impersonation
• The lap belt was impossibly tied in knots
• When the safety card was opened, it revealed a big, pasted-on picture of Brad Pitt

The flight continued …

• As we taxied to the runway, the pilot informed us that we could only get the plane going fast enough if we all applauded the flight crew … Louder … LOUDER
• On landing, as we touched down, the pilot announced over the intercom “Whoa big fella, whoooooa”
• And dozens of other little touches that let us know they enjoyed what they do, they’re real people and they appreciate our business

Upon reading this post, I’m sure the attorneys at Southwest Airlines will have a coronary. Come on, if you don’t know how to operate a lap belt you really shouldn’t be out in public. Showing a group of busy business people a piece of cardboard will not somehow make things safer in the event of a crash landing.

I’m sure we could all collect a number of stories like this that have changed our experience. The question is how can this type of thinking be incorporated into a (lawyer approved) corporate psychology. That’s a tough request. The easiest first step for you is to find these story changers in your own organization and let them teach the rest of your people.

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It’s been five days since our return from the Global Marketing Summit and, as expected, a new perspective is starting to settle in. The trap, of course, is to let complacency take over and to allow “the real world” to consume us. Now is the time to strike at the follow up contacts, and to continue building on the relationships that began this past week.

What lessons were to be learned at the event? The obvious answer would be to list the “who’s who” lineup of speakers including; Shawn Gold of Myspace, Pat Lafferty with Discovery (formerly with Leo Burnett), Todd Cunningham with MTV, Maureen Schumacher with Google, IAB’s Greg Stuart, and many more. The insight and information these speakers provided was inspirational and valuable. They did, however, provide a predictable experience. I expected to be blown away … I expected to learn a lot … I expected to be impressed.

What I didn’t expect was the cab ride from the airport to the hotel. I’m seen here with Mr. Saul White and Lani Voivod of Epiphanies, Inc. In my experience with retaining cabbies, Saul did some things extraordinarily well;

* He engaged us in conversation. OK, that, in and of itself, isn’t extraordinary. The fact he turned a 25 minute car ride into a memorable event was.
* He taught us about the history of the area
* He gave us the lowdown about the hotel we were staying at
* He shared personal stories and anecdotes
* He boldly asked, without being too forward, if we would call him for the return trip (we did)
* He sincerely told us that he looks forward to our next trip and to keep his card

What Saul did was to begin a real relationship … in less than an hour. I can’t picture Saul ever being referenced in the same breath with the phrase “like two ships that pass in the night.” Nope. Like Caribbean pirates, he and his crew would crash their ship into yours, jump the rails to get over to your side and would fire up the party! Thanks for the lesson Saul.

Is your business more like Sauls … or like every other business in your space?

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